Chapter 36: The Long Dark night

It had been a long, dark night. There were only a few cars making their way up to the mansion. They were supposed to pay Muriel a visit on her first night of vigil. It was agreed that Muriel's body would be kept in the mansion for six days so that some distant relatives could pay their respects.
It was a moonless night, but thousands of stars from the sky illuminated the path up to the mansion. Rakiza is one of the usherettes who will greet the visitors. She was accompanied by Chin and Susan. They also wished to assist Muriel's parents, as Rakiza had intended. Rakiza was in charge of the viewing of the coffin.
As the sun went down, Theo and Rakiza got into a fight on their way to Muriel's house. Rakiza was steadfast about going to Muriel's house, even though Theo wanted to stop her.
"You're the toughest girl I've ever met, Rakiza!" Theo howled at her.
"You already told me that, Theo! And I'm not going to deny it. And there's nothing you can do to stop me from going to Muriel's house." Rakiza resisted, stepping into a taxi and leaving Theo scratching his head.
Mrs. de Leon, Muriel's mother, was overjoyed to see Rakiza and her friends to assist her at her daughter's wake, and said, "I'm glad you're here." Muriel would be delighted to see you. "
Rakiza was reminded of what Theo had said by her statement. "She's not dead."
"I was still feeling her presence," Muriel's mother said. "I could feel Muriel was still around to cheer with you," she said, her eyes welling up with tears.
As the night progressed, some visitors said their goodbyes. There were only a few people who stayed to accompany Mrs. de Leon. They were reminiscing about Muriel as a baby. And every time Mrs. de Leon mentioned Muriel's beauty and intelligence, she paused and cried.
Muriel was adored by both of her parents, but especially by her mother. And the more Mrs. de Leon spoke about her daughter, the more Rakiza realized how distinctive Muriel's mother was. Unlike her mother, Veronica Zanier was more focused on her job and reasoned that it was for Rakiza's benefit. But it turned out that she preferred to be away from the house the majority of the time.
"Rakiza, why are you staring at Mrs. de Leon?" Chin inquired, intrigued.
"She adores her daughter Muriel." And she was in pain on the inside. Rakiza almost whispered to herself, "How fortunate Muriel is to have a mother like Mrs. de Leon."
The murmuring of voices became more audible as the remaining visitors' attention was drawn to the door.
Theo Monsanto emerged from the door like a supermodel on a ramp, his black suit and curly long hair freely flowing as he walked towards Rakiza. Rakiza was taken aback by Theo's appearance because she wasn't expecting it. "What are you doing here, Theo?" she asked quietly as she approached him. "
"To guard you," Theo said calmly, in a low, deep voice, and asked, "Have you seen her eyelids and fingers?"
"Theo, please stop acting like a fool. If they hear you, you might end up being a laughingstock. " Rakiza hushed.
But Theo took his words seriously, which irritated Rakiza. "Theo put a stop to that."
"Don't say it's a sham; she's not dead," Theo said once more.
Rakiza led Theo to the lawn on the left side of the house, closer to the swimming pool, with a view of the city lights below. It was a lovely setting for a couple on their first date.
"Thank you for showing your concern for me," Theo said with a smile, adding, "That would be a heartwarming action."
"I don't care about you; I just don't want you to cause an uproar inside." Respect the family who are going through a difficult time. What would they think if they found out you'd named her only daughter Undead? "
Theo continued, "They'd feel more grief, but they'd be lucky to know it first, but I don't have the authority to tell them." And you're right: it's an unbelievable truth that they'd have to see with their own eyes. "
Rakiza didn't have the strength to argue with Theo, so she decided to keep her cool and simply agreed with Theo's theory about Muriel. She suspected him of having an episode that caused him to crack. Perhaps he was depressed and needed to be understood. She needed to see the bright side of what Theo was doing. And he was correct; she was fortunate to have a free guardian.
The cold wind blew through the area, and a mist crawled up through the trees, closer to the swimming pool where Theo and Rakiza were standing.
"It's cold out here; go inside." However, focus on Muriel's eyelids and fingers instead. I'll be right there, and if you see anything unusual this evening, just let me know." Theo chose to sit on one of the outdoor rocking chairs and watch the city lights below his back on Rakiza, who was staring at him for a few minutes before going back inside.
"Muriel's mother was looking for you," Chin said as he approached Rakiza from the living room, carrying a tray of empty cups of coffee. She is standing at the house's front gate. "
Rakiza rushed over to Muriel's mother. Muriel's mother was conversing with some new visitors. When Mrs. de Leon called her name, she went to the small garden to the left. "Come here, Rakiza, and follow me."
Mrs. de Leon led Rakiza into Muriel's room, saying, "This is Muriel's room," as she opened the door.
Rakiza saw it as a princess's room. And there were a variety of dolls in a corner, which were obviously some collections. And it astounded Rakiza's eyes. The room belonged to a young girl, not an adult.
"You can sleep here tonight if you want. And you can dress in Muriel's clothes, "Mrs. de Leon said, as she opened a built-in and concealed cabinet to reveal some of Muriel's belongings, the majority of which were branded.
"Her favorite dresses and accessories are there. And you can pick for your needs tonight, "Mrs. de Leon demonstrated her generosity in the same way Muriel did. No surprise, Muriel was willing to lend her support during her need for a new outfit, as she had done after her mother.
"No, ma'am, I'm fine. I've got something in my bag. However, thank you for the offer."
"Muriel would be pleased if you chose what piqued your interest inside that cabinet. Please, I insist on it. "
Rakiza chose the blue dress as it was too awkward for her, but she couldn't just turn down an offer. "May I have this blue gown?" Rakiza inquired politely.
"Of course, and get some shoes that fit for that dress." Mrs. de Leon added, "Here are her shoe collections."
Rakiza wanted to get out of Muriel's room as soon as possible, which is why she chose black shoes and led them outside.
"You're very fortunate to have a friend like Muriel Rakiza." But why did Mrs. de Leon only do it to you and not to us?" Chin asked.
"I'm not sure. It was just a strange question. But if you like the dress I chose, I'll give it to you, "Rakiza explained.
Susan motioned for Chin to assist her in the kitchen, so Chin left Rakiza by Muriel's coffin.
Rakiza wanted to open her laptop to work on her story, but she felt it was inappropriate to do so during a vigil. As a result, she set the thought aside for the time being. She stared at the coffin, recalling what Theo had asked her to do. She slowly rose to her feet and walked closer to the coffin to take another look at Muriel inside.
Her stomach churned in distress as she held the top glass cover of the coffin. But she had to follow Theo's instructions in order to see that Theo was wrong and Muriel was indeed dead.
Rakiza's eyes were focused on Muriel's fresh face, and then she didn't blink, staring at Muriel's eyelids to move, and was still. So she panned her gaze down to Muriel's hands, which were clasped over each other.
Make a mental note of her fingers and eyelids. Rakiza heard Theo's voice in her head.
And she did make a mental note of Muriel's body inside the coffin. She returned to her seat and sat there quietly.
Then she felt a hand on her shoulder, and when she looked up, it was Nikolas Augustus, who was smiling down at her.
"Nikolas? What brings you here?" Rakiza inquired warmly. When she saw Nikolas, she felt a warm, comforting feeling all over again.
"I'm a family friend," he explained calmly.
Mrs. de Leon emerged from the kitchen door, carrying a glass of wine. And when she saw Nikolas, her eyes lit up, and she walked across the living room to them.
"Mr. Augustus, thank you for coming," she said warmly and smiled, "I'm delighted to see you here. I thought you were too busy to pay a visit to my daughter. Mrs. de Leon motioned Nikolas to the living room, which was near the exit to the swimming pool outside the back of the house.
"Excuse me for a moment, Rakiza," Nikolas said as he turned to face Rakiza, adding, "I owe it to the hostess to pay courtesy."
"It's fine," Rakiza said, smiling.
Nikolas joined Mrs. de Leon in the living room. And he kept staring back at Rakiza, who was still awestruck by his sudden appearance.
Rakiza was surprised to see Nikolas at Muriel's wake, and she later learned that Muriel's mother was a friend of Nikolas. "
Chin rushed over to Rakiza and exclaimed, "Muriel would be delighted to see Nikolas come and meet you here."
"Shut up, Chin. Be quiet, "Rakiza reprimanded, "I had no idea Nikolas was Muriel's family friend." Now I know why she preferred Nikolas for me over Theo.
After a few moments, Nikolas returned to Rakiza and said, "It's good to see you here, Rakiza," before turning to Chin and saying, "And you, Chin."
Chin laughed and said, "Same here, Nikolas. Well, if you'll excuse me, I have to help Muriel in the kitchen again." She then walked to the kitchen, glancing back every now and then.
"I didn't expect to see you here, and it never occurred to me that you were associated with Muriel; she never mentioned you to me."
"You know, it's not important," he said, before adding, "How did you accept her death? I mean, I know it was painful for you because you were too close to each other; I saw it the night she introduced you to me, and I thank her for that. "
"So do I," Rakiza said, smiling. "We were so close that she was always concerned about me. She was some kind of gem friend, and it's too hard for me to accept that she was suffering from a rare type of illness and that she had been keeping it a secret for a long time. "
Nikolas exhaled heavily. "I know, she means a lot to me as well, but we have to accept the fact that she is no longer alive." Nikolas rose to his feet and slowly walked towards the coffin, briefly staring at the corpse.
As Nikolas concentrated on the coffin, Rakiza locked her gaze on him. She didn't even blink in order to see and read his expression. Nikolas returned to Rakiza and sat beside her on a long bench and struck up a conversation with her.
"How are you tonight? Do you want to go home? I can take you there." Nikolas offered Rakiza a lift.
"No, thank you. I appreciated your offer, but I am not going home tonight. I have to stay here for five straight nights. "
Nikolas smiled, "But you have to get some rest, right?"
"I can do it after the funeral. I have to be with Muriel all the time until she was buried."
Nikolas didn't insist. Instead, he said, something warm. "You looked beautiful tonight."
Rakiza felt something like tingling sensations upon hearing Nikolas's praise words and stated, "Thank you, but please don't flatter me much."
"Yes, it is true. Rakiza: "You're a beautifully unique little thing, Rakiza. "
"Thank you for the compliment," Rakiza smiled.
Nikolas was then silent, as if observing her as they sat closer.
And then Rakiza remembered Theo outside the house and rose to her feet, "Will you excuse me for a moment."
"Okay, I'll be right here waiting for you," Nikolas said.
Rakiza dashed out of the house and into the swimming pool, expecting Theo to be waiting by the pool. But there's no one there. Not a shadow of Theo.
Where is he?" She mumbled. She tried to look for Theo in some other parts of the garden, but still no Theo. She felt something not good would happen.